The Soul of Incredible India - Bhaskareswara Temple

The Soul of Incredible India series - 

The Sun Temple at Konark

Kichakeswari Temple

Dhanobeni Temple

The Leaning Temple of Huma

Bhaskareswara Temple

Bhaskareswara Temple

This 12th or 13th century temple is located in the old town area of Bhubaneswar in Odisha. Said to be built by the Ganga rulers, it is structured like a 'rath' or chariot of Lord Jagannath. The presiding deity is Lord Shiva in the form of Bhaskareswara. Giving it distinction is the 9 foot high Shiv-linga accessed from the upper floor of the temple.

The Vimana is in the 'Peedha' (stepped pyramid) style and not very heavily embellished. Some deities do feature on the outer walls though.

Being an ASI (Archaeological Survey of India) site, the manicured lawns around the temple are beautiful and lend a very serene atmosphere to the place.

Padharo mhare des.... The Temples at Kiradu

Padharo mhare des.... series

A'DOOR' the 'DOORWAY'

The Temples at Kiradu

The Temples at Kiradu

Deep in the Thar Desert and very close to the border with Pakistan in the state of Rajasthan lies the tiny village of Kiradu. This is an otherwise nondescript place but for the discovery of the ruins of at least 5 exquisitely carved temples. The inscriptions found there are dated to the 12th century though some archaeologists date the building of the temples themselves to the 11th century. Consensus is that they were built by the vassals of the Chalukyas. An 1178 CE inscription describes the renovation of the temples after the 'Turushkas' damaged it. Turkic invaders from the Ghurid clans led by Mohammed of Ghor came rampaging through these regions but were defeated at the battle of Kasahrada in 1178 CE. Either then or later, these outstanding works of art were mercilessly destroyed .... it pains to behold the ruthless and wanton destruction as will be evident in the pictures that follow.

A closer look at the broken shikhara...

Kiradu also boasts of a ghost story. One among the many told in Rajasthan. It went like this... After the desecration of the temples by the Ghurid invaders, the King Someshwara invited a Sage to help protect his kingdom. While the sage was away, the local villagers did not take care of his unwell disciple except a potter's wife. On his return, the livid sage cursed the village and turned everyone to stone except the lady. She was told to go away from the village and not turn back. A weak moment saw her turning around to see her village for the last time and was turned into stone at the edge of the village, where she stands to this day! So powerful is the belief in this story that no one stays the night here even today for fear of being turned to stone!

The most famous and elaborately carved of these temples is the one dedicated to the Hindu God Someshwara. Tales from the puranas and the Hindu epics as well as court scenes and scenes of war are depicted here. The quality of workmanship as well as the plentiful erotica have led it to be called the Khajuraho of Rajasthan! Some examples...

A closer look at the theatre of war scene running as a base to the larger sculptures above ...

There is even a very cute panel probably showing the vanara (monkey) army from the epic Ramayana!

And another of the famed 'Samudra Manthan' (churning of the ocean) from the Puranas...

The entrance to the sanctum is brilliantly and finely carved!

A sample inscription from the temple... there are more but they are all in varying states of decay. 

And last, but not the least, a perfectly proportioned small shrine... shunned for not being perfect, but still standing tall... bearing it's badge of courage and resilience over the ages.. Silent yet Proud!

The Soul of Incredible India - The Leaning Temple of Huma

The Soul of Incredible India series - 

The Sun Temple at Konark

Kichakeswari Temple

Dhanobeni Temple

The Leaning Temple of Huma

The Leaning Temple of Huma

A small place just 23 Kms south of Sambalpur is home to the intriguing 'Leaning temple of Shiva' in Huma. It stands on the left bank of the mighty river Mahanadi. Lord Shiva is revered here in the form of Bimaleswar.

Having heard of this unique Shiva temple from friends in Sambalpur, we decided to see for ourselves where and how this temple came to be leaning!! 

Legend goes that a milkman used to cross the Mahanadi at this point and a jutting rock here used to be rendered a small amount of milk as an offering by him which was immediately guzzled up by the rock. The Raja gets to know of this and a temple is built at the site by Raja Baliar Singh, the fifth Chauhan Raja of Sambalpur roughly in the second half of the 17th century. According to some experts, the temple was built much earlier in the 12th century by Ganga Vamsi Emperor Anangabhima Deva-III and renovated by the Chauhan King!

What's fascinating here is the main Temple itself and the two subsidiary temples are all tilted. The main temple is tilted including the walls and the Vimana but the shikhar (the pinnacle) is perpendicular to the ground! Funnily, they are tilted in different directions as are the gateways and the boundary walls. Nothing seems in logical symmetry, including the inclination. One reason could be that it was built that way? That sounds very difficult considering that the temple is about 350 years old and this kind of tilt would undoubtedly made it too unstable to still stand. Another could be the geological instability of the rock it stands upon. But the different angles and directions of tilt in the premises are baffling to say the least .... 

Another attraction here are the huge fish in the Mahanadi next to the temple fabled as the deity's own and thus protected from fishing. They are very tame and pilgrims love to feed them prasad. 

The temple is also home to a troupe of monkeys which are quick to grab the 'prasad' from any unsuspecting person's hands as we all discovered much to our amusement!

All in all... interesting place! If one is in those parts, worth a dekho...

The Soul of Incredible India - Dhanobeni Temple

The Soul of Incredible India series - 

The Sun Temple at Konark

Kichakeswari Temple

Dhanobeni Temple

The Leaning Temple of Huma

Dhanobeni Temple

ODISHA - This venerable land of temples has much to offer in terms of the best known ancient all the way to the modern temples. And then there are those that are not well known except to the avid trekkers and explorers. 

Dhanobeni is one such place. I have no idea of it's history since we did not see a soul there and have not found anything on the internet either. But the remote location and the serene environs drew me to it. 

Dhanbeni village is just off the main highway to Keonjhar and about 20 Kms to the south of it. Dhanobeni temple in it's vicinity is built on this gigantic rocky hill which seems to be a single rocky outcrop jutting out of a boulder-strewn landscape. Surrounded by a little stream on one side and some fields, it is a very scenic location! The pictures will speak for themselves.....  

It's super steep though!

The small shrine on top is a simple white-washed structure with 2 Nandis at the entrance. One looked old and the other a relatively new sculpture. The sanctum was closed but I assume there would be a Shivling inside. 

A tiny oasis from millennia of flying dust which has probably formed a thin layer of soil up on the rocky hill has supported so much greenery that it is wondrous to see... Trees have grown there, some of them with their roots encircling rocks and yet thriving!

One word of caution though. To comfortably climb this I would recommend closed shoes with good grip since there is no path to go up. One just has to climb the colossal rock! But you won't regret it!

The Soul of Incredible India - Kichakeswari Temple

The Soul of Incredible India series- 

The Sun Temple at Konark

Kichakeswari Temple 

Dhanobeni Temple 

The Leaning Temple of Huma

Kichakeswari Temple

Situated in Khiching about 50 Kms from Kendujhar (Keonjhar) and about 240 Km from Bhubaneswar in Odisha, the Kichakeswari temple is a magnificent temple dedicated to Maa Kichakeswari (a form of the 8-armed Chamunda Mata). The Goddess Kichakeswari was the Kuldevi of the Bhanj dynasty as well as the state deity of the Mayurbhanj Kingdom with it's capital at Khiching. 

It is an imposing structure built of black Chlorite adorned with gorgeous carvings all over the outer walls and the Rekha Deul (the towering Vimana over the main sanctum sanctorum or Garbha griha). This early Kalingan temple does not have any Jagamohan (the congregation hall) nor the Bhog or Natya Mandaps.

It is said that this early specimen of the Kalinga style of temple architecture was built somewhere in the 7-8th century and was renovated in the early 20th century by then King of Mayurbhanj kingdom for damages caused by vandals. A small museum here has some lovely old statues and artifacts.

The outer walls have exquisite carvings of  Ganapati, Kartikeya and many other Gods, Goddesses, NagKanyas  and other intricate carvings of great finesse and beauty.

The really intricate carving is an absolute delight to behold! This next carving is barely 4 inches wide including the beautiful beaded edging... and yet the expression is so visibly joyous!

Some more sculptures which are really amazing works of art...

In the same courtyard is a small Shiva temple. Relatively plain, it still hassome lovely pieces of work in the Dwarpal panel and the statues on the outside walls. 

There is a modern park just outside the temple premises which has a Shiv-Parvati tableau. 

For history or architecture or just Indic culture aficionados, it's so worth visiting this hidden gem of Odisha!